Weekend Wisdom, November 12th, 2023
On October 21st, Bishop Ricken was at St. Mary Parish to confirm 66 young adults from our two parishes and from Prince of Peace Parish. Deacon Jeff Prickett and I were blessed to assist Bishop Ricken at this beautiful liturgy. Before the Mass began, the students were asked several questions. One of those questions was this, “What is a vocation?” The word vocation means "a call." It is God's invitation to each person to love and serve Him and His Church in a particular state or way of life.
After a quick on-line search, I found this statement in multiple places: “The Catholic Church supports and teaches us that there are three vocations: the single life, married life, and the religious life or priesthood.” Some sites use this same list to say that there are four vocations. Hmmm… I happen to be married and I’m a permanent deacon. It seems that my vocation as a deacon is missing from this list!
That said, here is a statement on USCCB.org from our U.S. Bishops. “National Vocation Awareness Week, celebrated November 5-11, 2023, is an annual week-long celebration of the Catholic Church in the United States dedicated to promoting vocations to the priesthood, diaconate, and consecrated life through prayer and education, and to renew our prayers and support for those who are considering one of these particular vocations.” Awesome! An invitation to the diaconate!
Some parishes in our diocese have multiple deacons, others have none. Some deacons are paid as part of the parish staff, others are not. Our two parishes have one deacon…me… and I volunteer my time. But wouldn’t it be great if Fr. Mike and Fr. Josuva had an additional deacon or two to support them?
I’d like to ‘plant the seed’ for anyone reading this to discern if God is calling you (or someone you know) to serve as a permanent deacon in the diocese. Deacons are “called to serve” in three ways…Ministry of Word, Liturgy, and Charity.
If you are between the ages of 30 - 55, involved in parish and community life, and feel called to more deeply serve in the Diocese of Green Bay, you may be called to the diaconate. I would be delighted to meet with anyone who would like to learn more. Or you could reach out to Fr. Mike, Fr. Josuva, or Deacon Shaun Johnson, who is the Diaconate Director for our Diocese.
We live out our baptism through our vocation. Regardless of our vocation, we are called to serve well since all of us have a unique role in continuing to build the kingdom of God!
May God bless you and your family,
Deacon Mark
